Yahoo! Sports Minute

Merengue band in Rays’ locker room

How do the Tampa Bay Rays manage to compete year after year with the big-budget beasts of the American League East? Two words: Joe Maddon. The club's skipper consistently finds innovative ways to keep the small-market franchise loose -- from bringing a penguin into the clubhouse earlier this season to conducting themed dress-up road trips. The manager's latest move? Bringing a live Dominican merengue band into the locker room before Tuesday night's game with the Boston Red Sox.

Tampa's own Sol Caribe, a four-piece group, provided the pregame entertainment. Reliever Joel Peralta danced with a female singer while outfielder Matt Joyce looked on in the background with approval. And there was more fun too. Closer Fernando Rodney -- who introduced us to the "magic plantain" during the World Baseball Classic in March -- organized bunches of the banana-like fruit to hang above several of his teammates' stalls.